Car deck



Dec. 29, 1925 F. w. SHIELDS CAR DECK Filed March 17, 192

3 Shets-Sheet 1 IN VENT 0R fin/K lair/1:205

Dec. 29, 1925- F. W. SHIELDS CAR DECK Filed March 17, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 2 F. W. SHIELDS CAR DECK Dec. 29, 1925- Filed March 17 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 77mm W225 ME Y specification.

Patented Dec. 29, 1925 UNITED 1s TAT-ES FRANK W. SHIELDS, OF W ALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNORTO VALLEYFRUIT COMPANY, OF WALLA. WALLA, WVASHINGTON, A CORPORATION.

1,56%,759 PATENT OFFICE.

CAR DECK.

Application filed. March 17,1925. .Serial No. 16,111.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. SHIELDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVallaWalla, in the county of WallaWalla and State of Washington, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in .Car Decks, of which the follow ng 1311.

This invention relates to sectional ventilating car. decks and has as one ofits, ob-

.jects to provide a car deck that maybe constructed atv odd moments and thatwill be adapted to refrigerator cars, .and the like, with a minimum of cutting and fitting during installation.

Another object of, the invention is to provide a car deck that maybe secured rigidly .in refrigerator cars, and other cars using insulation in their make up, without nailing the deck tothe car with the resulting. mutilation of the walls and puncturing the insulation.

A- further ob ect of the invention is to provide a car deck having strength, rigidity and immobility and that may be secured in a car by means of wedges, and to utilize certain of the wedges to. complete a continuous platform throughout the full length of the car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a car deck which may be installed as the car is. loaded.

A further object of the invention is to provide a car deck whose method of construction is utilized to enable perfect ventil-ation to obtain throughout the load.

A further object of the invention is to provide a deck that isrela-tively cheap to construct and which may be assembled without the use of skilled labor.

lVith these and other objects in view reference is now had to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a car showing the car deck in place;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the car deck assembled Fig. 3 shows an end elevation of the car deck;

numerals .refer to like partsthroughout the several views and the numeral l refers to a car having the usual sides 2 and -irespectively, and ends 4 and 5 respectively, a floor 6, a roof 7, a centrally positioned doorway 8, and Wheels 9.resting on a track 10;

. In transporting onions, and other produce .by rail it 1is essential that ventilation be provided. to prevent the produce from heat ing and sweating, and that provisions be made toload moreinthe car than would rest on the floor alone. 7

For this purpose then a deck 11v is provided. which consists principally of panels 12 wherewithtosupport the platform 13Vof the deck with great rigidity and immobility.

Thepanels consist of a plate 1 2 to which uprights 15 are rigidly. secured ,by any suitable means as by nailing, and on top of the uprights is a sill 16 also nailed-securely. to the uprights.

The uprights areas fewin number as will support the load and to. strengthen the plate and sill in the span between the uprights, web members 17 and 18 respectively are provided as shown.

The webs are securely nailed tothe plate 14 and sill l6 and both webs are positioned on the same side of the panel to form a hearing plate against the side of the car, and the webs'also provide a space between the side of the car and the uprights to. provide for a circulation of air at this point of the load.

7 As the car lengths obviously vary the pan els are madeupin lengths that will not exceed the distance from the end. of. the car to the near side of the car door, and the space 19 or runway, in between the panels, i. e. opposite the door may thus beleft foruse in a manner and for a purpose to, be explained.

It will be understood from the above that the panels maybe constructed during the slack periods and made of a standard size, the length being determined by the shortest car, and the height being the height of thesacks containing the produce plus a space forventilation as shown in Fig. 4C.

In Fig. 1 is shownthe deck installed in a car whose length is greater than the minimum showing the relative position of the panels with respect to the distance between the endsand thenear side ,of the car door. The assembling .of the deck 11,,.will now be described and .thevarious; members go to complete the deck will be considered in their order:

In assembling, two panels are placed against one side of the car with their back ends 20 resting against the respective ends of the car, and two panels are similarly placed on the opposite side of the car. The two opposite panels are now secured in a vertical position with the webs resting against the side of the car, by means of the end cross tie 21 that is nailed to the uprights at the onus 20, and on the inside thereof to keep the produce away from the end wall thus providing for ventilation at that point.

Where the width of the car demands a center support 22 for the platform 13 a third panel is placed in the center between the two opposite panels, and this panel is likewise secured in a vertical. position by the cross tie 21, the cross tie being nailed to it in the manner above explained.

Loading is now commenced and proceeded with through the runway 15) left between the inner ends 23 of the panels, the runway being left clear and free of all obstructions so that trucks may be used to convey and deposit the goods on the floor against the cross tie and the panels.

As a certain amount of the door space is covered the second cross tie is secured in place, and the platform consisting of boards 25 laid in a manner to provide spaces 26 therebetween, is laid up to this point, and this part of the platform is then loaded.

Loading and assembling now continues in the same manner until both ends of the car are filled when wedge posts 27 are driven in etween the floor and the roof and against the ends 23 of the respective panels, to be there secured by nailing in the usual manner, and these wedge posts maintain the panels in a fixed vertical position.

The wedge posts are cut to reach the ceiling of the car and obviously therefore the labor of cutting will be the same whether the car has a pitched ceiling as shown, or a level ceiling (not shown).

Now a wedge plate 28 is placed on the floor, on the far side of the runway, and forced. into place between the lower part of the wedge posts 27 thus forcing the back ends 20 of the panels against the ends of the car. Filler pieces 29 are then nailed to the opposite wedge posts and a wedge beam 30 is driven into place down onto the filler pieces to force the sill, or upper part of the panels, against the ends of the car thus positively securing the panels in a fixed position longitudinally.

The near end of the runway may now be loaded, the second wedge beam 31 and the third wedge beam 32 driven into place as the betore mentioned wedge beam 30, and the boards 25 laid thereon.

This forms a complete and continuous platform throughout the length of the car.

It will now be noted that the load is divided into relatively small sections, each section being bounded by the panels 12 and the ties 21 and 2%, etc, and that ventilation may occur around the uprights and the cross ties, over the top of the sacks in the space 35, the latter supplying ventilation to counteract the efi'ect of a tight floor; and that a perfect ventilation is supplied through the open platform and between the sacks loaded thereon.

it is also obvious that with the respective panels provided with webs, ample strength to the platform is obtained; that the system of wedging positively precludes the possibility of the deck falling, due to the movement of the car and load in transit; and that assembling and loading requires a minimum of effort and expense. 7

It is also obvious that as all nailing is straight work, i. e. as there is no toenailing, that it is just as simple to remove the load and deck as it was to construct and load.

lVhere cars are equipped with false floors (not shown) it is obvious that such a floor would only effect the length of the wedge posts, and while such afioor might add to the ventilation this would be an advantage rather than a detriment. v

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a car deck, a plurality of panels positioned vertically in a car, means to maintain said panels vertically, said panels forming a support for a platform, vertically positioned wedge posts rigidly attached to said panels and secured between the floor and roof of said car, and longitudinally positioned wedge beams secured between the panels to force said panels against the nds of the car, said beams forming a sup port for an additional platform.

In a car deck, a plurality of panels positioned vertically in both ends of a car, means to maintain said panels vertically, said panels forming a support for a platform in each end of a car, vertically positioned wedge posts rigidly attached to the inner ends of said panels and forming a wedge between the floor and roof of said car, and longitudinally positioned wedge beams placed between the respective panels to force said panels against the ends of said car, said beams forming a support for a central platform to complete a continuous platform throughout the length of the car.

3. In a car deck, a plurality of panels positioned vertically in both ends of a car, two of said panels being positioned against one side of said car and against the respec tive ends thereof, and two of said panels being similarly placed on the opposite sides of said car, said panels being of a length to provide a runway in the center of said car and between the inner ends of said panels, means rigidly attached to the opposite panels, to maintain said panels in vertical position to provide supports for a platform in each end of said car, vertically positioned wedge posts rigidly attached to the inner end of said panels and formin a wedge between the fioor and roof of said car, to maintain said panels in a fixed posi tion vertically, and longitudinally positioned wedge beams placed between the respective panels of both ends of the car to force said panels against the ends of said car to maintain said panels in a fixed position longitudinally, said beams forming a support for a central platform to complete a continuous platform throughout the length of the car.

4. In a car deck, a plurality of panels having webs attached to one side thereof to provide for ventilation, and positioned vertically in both ends of a car, two of said panels being positioned against one side of said car and against the respective ends thereof, and two of said panels similarly placed on the opposite side of said car, said panels being of a length to provide a runway in the center of said car and between the inner ends of said panels, central panels positioned between said oppositely disposed panels, means rigidly attached to said panels to maintain said panels in a vertical position to support a ventilating platform in eachend of said car, vertically positioned wedge posts rigidly attached to the inner ends of said panels, and forming a wedge between the floor and roof of said car to maintain said panels in a fixed vertical position, and longitudinally positioned wedge beams placed between the respective panels of both ends of the car, to force said panels against the ends of the car and to maintain said panels in a fixed position longitudinally, said beams forming a support for a central ventilated platform to complete a continuous platform throughout the length of the car.

In a car deck, a plurality of panels, each panel comprising a plate, uprights rigidly attached to said plate, a sill rigidly attached to the top of said uprights, and a pair of wedge members rigidly attached to one side of said panels, and to the plate and sill respectively, said panels being posi tioned vertically in both ends of said car, with two of said panels positioned against one side of said car and against the respective ends thereof, and two of said panels similarly placed on the opposite side of said car, said panels being of a length to provide a runway. in the center of said car and between the inner ends of said panels, means rigidly attached to the opposite panels to maintain said panels in a vertical position, with the webs thereof resting against the side of the car, an open platform mounted on said panels, means to support the center of said platform, vertically positioned wedge posts rigidly attached to the inner ends of said panels to form a wedge between the floor and roof of said car, to maintain said panels in a fixed vertical position, and longitudinally positioned wedge beams placed between the respective panels to force said panels against the ends of said car to maintain said panels in a fixed position longitudinally, said beams forming a support for a central platform to complete a continuous platform throughout the length of the car.

6. I11 a car deck, the combination with a car, of a plurality of panels, a platform mounted on said panels to form a deck, and means to secure the deck in the car laterally, vertically and longitudinally without nailing to the car, said means comprising laterally positioned cross ties, vertically positioned wedge posts, and longitudinally positioned wedge beams, secured to said panels.

7. In a car deck, the combination with a car, of a plurality of panels positioned vertically in a car, means to maintain said panels vertically without attaching them to a car, said panels forming a support for a platform, vertically positioned wedge posts rigidly attached to said panels and secured in place by wedging between the floor and roof of the car, and longitudinally positioned wedge beams placed between the ends of the panels to secure said panels horizontally by wedging between the ends of said car, said means forming a support for an additional platform.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FRANK W. SHIELDS. 

